OK- so we have a dog that has been “diagnosed” with a flea allergy.

We have tried:

Getting her Frontline treatments monthly (expensive)…

Supplemented with Capstar pills (which kill fleas and their eggs for several days)

Bathing her twice a month at Soapy Dog, with their natural flea treatment

Washing her bedding in hot water every other day

vacuuming our couches, etc.

Banning all dogs that have not been treated from our house

She had some relief this past month, but then- POW- they are back and she is itching like crazy and has “flea dirt” and rash all over!!!

What else can we do!?!!

Has anyone tried diatomaceous earth?

She’s an Alaskan dog, so we are thinking that is why she is allergic to them...just doesn’t have any resistance. Other dogs we used to have around noticably have fleas, but do not itch like she does...?

Anyone tried Frontline and found Advantix more effective?

Thanks :0)

Found this at http://www.dirtworks.net

“Pets:
Our best friends come in all shapes and sizes. Protect them with Diatomaceous Earth. When lightly rubbed into their coats it is very effective against fleas, ticks, lice, and other pests on pet dogs, cats, and their premises. It can also be used as an organic wormer and will kill any worms or parasites the pets may have. When using as a de-wormer, mix the Diatomaceous Earth into their food. Ask your vet how much for your size pet. General application rates are listed below.”

I didn’t realize you could put it directly on their coats.... Has anyone done this with results?

wow,

I’ve never heard that. Diotamacious earth is basically little razor sharp shards of rock or some such stuff that cuts small bugs’ legs off. You can feed it to your pets?!?! really?

Wow- I never knew that about DE- I had just always heard that it can be used in your garden to keep the pests away. The vet said we could sprinkle it under her bedding and around cracks in the house. This website is the first I’ve seen that says you can rub it on their fur or feed it to them.

You know, I lived in an open-air house on a tropical island with this dog and we NEVER had bug infestations like we do here. We would get termites occasionally- we had ungodly large spiders running around, scorpions, and huge rats- but nothing like this!

Poor dog- must suck. Well, we’ll keep at it- see how it goes.

I do recommend the CapStar- it works within 24 hours and seems to be highly effective. It is cheap, too- just doesn’t last very long.

again, AshaKasha, don’t underestimate the power of lemongrass and citronella in the air ... diffuse it however you can and keep it burning. you can also add these (in appropriate amounts) directly to dog shampoo and sprinkle drops on bedding. they help a LOT ... we keep some almond oil with citronella/lemongrass for bug repellent for our skin too (that’s the ingredient in skin-so-soft and the burt’s bees repellent, but much cheaper when you buy it as essential oil and add it yourself) ...

we have a dog with flea allergies too ... but frontline has done magic for us ... she’s also allergic to grass, though ... your dog might have more than one allergy ...

Diatomaceous earth is good and works. It was in good supply last year now seems the channels are drying up.

It is a BIG business getting rid of pests… simple natural thing like diatomaceous earth....

Garlic, yeast, diluted penny royal oil.

Black walnut and wormwood is good for getting rid of worms.

glolady - 03 May 2008 02:00 PM

Diatomaceous earth is good and works. It was in good supply last year now seems the channels are drying up.

Are you talking about putting around the yard to keep fleas down? That stuff can be pretty irritating—kind of like fiberglass—if you handle it without gloves. I’d hate to think of rubbing it all over some poor dog.

But, around the edges of a house or something (and away from a garden, where I gather it’d kill pretty much any insect, not to mention slugs) I imagine it would be pretty effective.